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Why would I want to bother going to HQB when I can just order from those guys on taobao? The consumerization of the electronics market is sad for those into bro
by Canada 8y ago
Why would I want to bother going to HQB when I can just order from those guys on taobao? The consumerization of the electronics market is sad for those into browsing.. it's fun. But really, if you want to prototype something it's way easier to order online and if you actually want to produce something then random stuff from HQB or taobao isn't going to cut it anyway.
- paulgerhardt 8y agoGoing to HQB is (was) valuable because: 1) You get a visceral read on what's up and coming - every month and half it's different but volume doesn't lie. Reading the tech news you're in a filter bubble for whatever company is spending the most on PR but on the street you get a real sense for what's being made in volume. Pulling the threads on why this new widget is trending this month is always educational. 2) For prototyping something I find HQB quicker - you can get supplies, programmers, and adapters all in under an hour - usually it was just a new test fixture for isolating a QA issue you've found but having it down the street is wonderful. For production, yes, by all means go through your supplier network. 3) Going in person let me build up guanxi with the niche vendors where I was a repeat customer. As a 6'4" huge foreigner I left an impression, and in turn was able to leverage that network to find things I couldn't/didn't know of. WeChat has streamlined this but the tone is completely different there between people I've met in person and people I haven't.